The October Monthly.

The first number of the seventh volume of the Monthly gives promise that under the new board of editors, the interests of the paper will not be neglected. The articles are well written and are worthy of publication. The number as a whole, however, is not as interesting to the general reader as some of its predecessors. The work and thought of the essayist is given prominence almost to the exclusion of the writers of fiction. We have little fault to find with the matter presented but we think that if something in a lighter vein had been introduced among the sober products of the essayist the magazine would have been improved.

Mr. Moorfield Storey in his paper entitled "Politics as a Duty and as a Career" has timely suggestion as to the manner of arousing public opinion in regard to matters of national interest and as to the duty. of each citizen in the struggle to make public opinion effective. The writer comes to the conclusion that politics as a career must be a failure of all but the wealthy; that while parties must exist, it is almost impossible to carry effective measures of reform into operation by means of party machinery. We agree with Mr. Story in many points, but we wish that he had put more stress upon the necessity of action within parties by private citizens. We believe that measures of final and permanent influence can best be handled through parties and not by means of spasmodic and local impulses. Sincere and honest private citizens can do their country more good by elevating the tone of parties than by manifesting a vacillating independence in politics. Mr. Storey practically admits this, but, accepting parties as necessary, he slurs over somewhat the real value of earnest work within partisan bodies.

Mr. Parker in his "Coming of Isolde" tells in a few words the final tragedy in the old romance of Sir Tristran and his fair mistress, the king's wife. The tale is skillfully told. The whole story of the two lives is faintly hinted at, although nothing but the closing chapter of that story is given. It would be difficult to find an unnecessary word in the last two pages. Mr. Dodge's essay, "What is a Sonnet?" is the best piece of work in this number of the Monthly. The writer examines the various forms in which the sonnet has appeared, traces the historical significance of each form and points out in what respects the sonnet has failed hitherto to fulfil all the needs of the poets' art. Mr. Dodge shows such a delivery of thought and criticism that we are led to believe that his pen will do valuable work in the near future.

The paper entitled "The Religious Crisis," written by "One of the Committee, " is an interesting review of the experiments in religious work tried by the undergraduates last winter. It is a semi-official statement of the motives which led to the movement among the students which culminated in the series of meetings held at the Globe Theatre. The writer gives an estimate of the result of those meetings, an estimate in our opinion perfectly just. He urges either that the meetings be repeated under somewhat different plans, or that some more practical scheme of work be suggested immediately. The writer is right when he hints that it would be a pity to allow the work inaugurated last year to be discontinued, and we hope that his appeal will be heard and acted upon.

Mrs. Sempers contributes to the number some graceful verses entitled, "In Midsummer." The quality of the writer's work is too well known to our students to need comment here. Mr. Bates contributes a very creditable translation of the first ode of Horace, Book III. The usual editorials and book notices fill out the number.